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Hi friends, I guess that sometimes when you have a personal conversation with a friend, then maybe you have to touch on a certain topic -- that of your family. So today, I would like to present you with some sentences about this topic and also some associated Chinese language customs. I really hope it is at least a little help to you in your Chinese learning.



NEW SENTENCES ABOUT ONE'S FAMILY MEMEBERS:

Please click on any Chinese character that you need help with to see its Chinese pinyin, pronunciation and meaning and then read it after me.

No. 098: -- 你怎样用中文说parent？
                 -- 中国人称Parent为"父母"、"父亲和母亲"。
                 -- 中国人称Father为“父亲"、"爸爸"、"爸"、"爹”等等。
                 -- 我们称Mother为"母亲"、"妈妈"、"妈"、"娘"等。
                 -- How do you say "Parent" in Chinese?
                 -- Chinese call Parents "father and mother"
                 -- Chinese call   Father "fuqin", "baba", "ba" and "die" etc.
               -- We call Mother "muqin","mama","ma" or "niang"and so on.


No.099:   -- 你怎样用中文说grandparent?
                 -- 中国人称grandparent为"祖父母"、"祖父和祖母"。
                 -- 中国人称grandfather为"祖父"、"爷爷"。
                 -- 我们称grandmother为"祖母"、"奶奶"。
                 -- How do you say "grandparent" in Chinese?
                 -- Chinese call grandparent "zu fumu", "zufu he zumu".
                 -- We call grandfather "zufu" or "yeye"
                 -- We call grandmother "zu mu", "nainai".


No.100:   -- 怎样用中文说brother?
                 -- 中国人称elder brother为"哥
                     哥"或"哥"。
                 -- 我们称"younger brother"为"弟
                     弟"或"弟"。
                 -- How to say brother in Chinese?
                 -- Chinese call their elder brother   
                     "gege" or "ge".
                 -- We call   their younger brother
                     "didi" or "di".


No.101:   -- 怎样用中文说sister?
                 -- 中国人称 elder sister 为“姐姐”或“姐”。
                 -- 我们称younger sister为“妹妹”或“妹”。
                 -- How do you say "sister"in Chinese?
                 -- Chinese call their elder sister "jiejie "or "jie".
                 -- We our younger sister "meimei" or "mei".


NEW WORDSLISTEN TO THE TEXT:

Please click on any Chinese character that you need help with to see its Chinese pinyin, pronunciation and meaning and then read it after me.

Chinese Language Custom 01: Brother and Sister


There is a difference between Chinese and English when it comes to talking about one’s brothers and sisters, in that relative age is important and we usually specify whether they are an elder brother or younger brother. When a brother is older than you, you call him “ge ge” and if he is younger, “ di di”. These are two different words with two different meanings, so instead of saying “my brother”, we effectively say “my elder brother” or “my younger brother.” In   the same way we refer to our elder sister or our younger sister.


So, the points are:

1. In Chinese, we call our elder brother "gege" and our younger brother "di di".

2. In Chinese, we call our elder sister "jiejie" and our younger sister "meimei".

They are expressed with different Characters and pronunciations. :-

Hope this is a little help to you in knowing more about Chinese culture and language. :-)

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please write to shirley@ebridge.cn , or shirleyz004@yahoo.com, You are also welcome to publish your opinions in Forum For Friends. :-)   

--Shirley
Written and Recorded On Sat, March 11, 2006